Two-bed hand-knitting apparatus



P 1963 E. ERB 3,103,110

TWO-BED l-IAND-KNITTING APPARATUS Filed April 15, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN [/5 NTOR; ffi/VST .F/PB

E. ERB

TWO-BED HAND-KNITTING APPARATUS Sept. 10, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 15, 1959 F'lG.3 Q

PIC-3.2

Sept. 10, 1963 E. ERB 3,103,110

TWO-BED HAND-KNITTING APPARATUS Filed April 15, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet s p 10, 1963 E. ERB 3,103,110

TWO-BED HAND-KNITTING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 15, 1959 INVEA/To E: E/F/KW' EIPB United States Patent 3,103,110 TWO-BED HAND-KNTTTENG APPARATUS Ernst Erb, Basel, Switzerland, assign or to Etablissements Superba S.a.r.l., Mulhouse, France, a French body corporate Filed Apr. 15, 1959, Ser. No. 806,532 Claims priority, application Switzerland Apr. 16, 1958 8 Claims. (CI. 66-64) In the two-bed hand-knitting apparatus known hitherto, the operating instructions, especially the setting of the cam elements for the various knitting patterns, are very diflicult for beginners to understand. For example they must be taught that for circular knitting on such apparatus, only the left-hand needle-lifter of the front cam box and the right-hand needle-lifter of the rear cam box must be engaged, and other two needle-lifters must be disengaged, while the depth of the respective draw-oil parts must also be set in accordance with the yarn thickness. In the knitting of ribbed fabric, all four stitch-lifters must be engaged and all four needle-sinkers must be set to the appropriate stitch depth; this setting is the simplest and is therefore easiest to understand.

If, however, in a piece of knitting, there occur various patterns circular one-and-one, ribbed iabric, tuck, royal rib, plain on one side, semicircular, etc., in many cases even with the aid of an instruction book it is very difficult for the operator to follow these complicated instructions, since this operator, in most cases a housewife, cannot understand mechanical operations, even if the manner of working of the cam is explained.

The invention therefore has for object to provide a two-bed hand-knitting apparatus having a toolproof cam box settable in the simplest manner for the various knitting patterns. For this purpose the cam box can have for example a number of press keys by means of which it can be set for the production of the various knitted patterns. These press keys have associated with them a common shift bar, which ensures that when one key is actuated for the production of a certain knitted pattern, the position of the key and parts connected therewith, which were previously actuated for the production of a diflerent pattern, is automatically cancelled. The person operating the apparatus can set the cam box in this manner by operating one press key in such a way that on knitting there is produced the knitted pattern which corresponds to the key depressed. Thus this person is able, without great reflection, to select one or other pattern by pressing one or other key.

Accordingly the invention relates to a cam box 'for a two-bed hand-knitting apparatus, with two needle-control elements inclined in relation to one another and movably arranged on the rear of a cam box plate, between which elements an upper needle-sinker member is secured on the cam box plate and a needle-lifting member is secured outside them in each case.

This cam box is distinguished according to the invention in that each needle-control element has a rocking lever pivotably mounted at its lower end, carrying a needle-control pawl, the upper edge of which is curved for lifting the needles and the lower edge of which is curved :Sor needle-sinking, and in that with the rocking ievers of the two needle-control elements there is associated a cam-setting device arranged on the front of the cam box plate, having a number of stop pins which can be advanced at will, according to the desired pattern, through holes provided for them in the cam box plate, into the range of movement of the rocking levers, in order to limit their movement in a corresponding manher.

In the accompanying drawings there is illustrated an "ice example of embodiment of the invention, together with one structural modification.

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the cam box of the front needle-bed of the two-bed hand-knitting apparatus.

FIGURE 2 is a similar plan view, illustrated on a larger scale, of this cam box, with the cam-box housing removed.

FIGURE 3 is a view of the under side of the cam box.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section along the line IVIV in FIGURE 2.

FIGURES 5, 5a, 6, 6a and 7, 7a show various positions of the cam box for the knitting of various knitted patterns.

FIGURE 8 is a partially sectional lateral elevation of a modified cam-setting device, and

FIGURE 9 is a view of the rear of this device, in combination with certain parts of the cam box.

The cam box according to FIGURES 1-4 is intended for a hand-knitting apparatus having two needle beds 1 inclined in relation to one another, of which only the forward needle bed is visible in FIGURE 1. On each of these needle beds there is provided a pair of longitudinally disposed guide rails 2, upon which a cam box can be moved back and :forth in each case, the cam parts of which are covered over by a cam box housing 3, on which there is secured :a handle 4- for reciprocating the cam box. Each cam box possesses a cam box plate 5 and behind this, as shown in FIGURE 3, two flat rocking levers 6 inclined in relation to one another are arranged at a certain distance from one another; these levers bear against the cam box plate 5 and are each provided at their lower end parts with a peg 7, the two pegs 7 en gaging in two oblique guide slots 8 provided in the cam box plate 5 and inclined towards opposite ends of the cam box plate. The nose-shaped lower ends 6a of the two rocking levers 6 are inclined towards one another and connected together by means of a tension spring 9, being held by the latter in a position rocked upwards about their pegs 7, in which position their upper, pointed ends rest against an upper longitudinal flange 10 upon the cam box plate 5. On each of the two rocking levers 6, and at a slight distance therefrom, there is secured, as by means of short pins 11, a needle-control pawl 12, of which the upwardly facing edge is curved for needle-lifting and the downwardly facing edge is curved for needle-sinking. The curved port-ions 12a and 12b serve to impart a more gradual rate of lift and of sinking as the needle control pawls initially engage the needles. In the middle, between the two upper pointed ends of the two needle-control pawls 12, there is secured on the cam box plate 5 a trapezoidal plate 13, forming a stationary needle-sinker, which rests with the longer of its parallel sides on the longitudinal rib 10 of the cam box plate. Outside of the lower ends of the two needlecontrol pawls 12, there are also secured on the cam box plate '5, as by means or" spacing sleeves (not shown) two trapezoidal plate elements 14, forming stationary needlelifters, with their longer bases resting against the lower flange 15 of the cam box plate 5. The pivotable needlecontrol pawls 12, the stationary needle-sinker 1.3 and the stationary needle-lifters 14 all lie in the same plane.

Above each of the two rocking levers 6 there is mounted on the cam box plate 5 at a distance therefrom corresponding .to the thickness of the rocking levers 6, a disc 15 engaging over the respective rocking lever, which are each provided on the upper edge with a recess 6b in order not to hinder the pivoting movements. Due to these discs 16 and to the fact that the lower ends 6a of the rocking levers 6 extend through slots provided in the lower longitudinal flange 15 of the cam box plate 5, these rocking levers are held so as to bear in fiat contact with the cam box plate 5, in every position.

Hereinafter there is described a cam-setting device, arranged on the front. of the cam box plate (see FIGURE 2); this device renders it possible to set the knitting apparatus by limiting the range of movement of the rocking levers 6 or of the needle-control pawls 12 arranged thereon, for the execution of various knitted fabrics or of knitted fabrics with various patterns.

This cam-setting device comprises, for each of the two needle beds 1, a row of press keys arranged between the two needle beds and extending from bottom to top; the keys 18, 19, 20 and 21 (see FIGURES l and 4) are hollow and their upper ends extend out through a traverse aperture 3a in the housing 3. On the under side of each press key, there is secured a plate 18a, 19a, 20a, 21a respectively, each provided with a transverse slot. On the cam box plate 5, there is arranged a transverse bar 22 of flat shape, upon which there are arranged four pins extending into the press keys and serving as guides .therefor and around each of these pins there is coiled a compression spring holding the keys in their disengaged position, only the springs 20b and 2112 being visible in FIGURE 4. In overlying slots of the transverse bar 22 and of the cam box plate 5, there is guided a longitudinally slidable key-locking element 23, provided with four tooth-like projections 23a, 23b, 23c and 23d, of which the outermost ends engage in the slots of the key plates 18a, 19a, 20a and 21a. Three of these projections, namely the projections 23a, 23b and 230 are hooked so that they hold the keys 18, 19 and 20, when depressed, against the spring force acting upon them, as illustrated in FIGURE 4 for the key 20. The projection 23d is only bevelled off, as seen in FIGURE 4, without being hooked. By depression of the key 21, therefore, only a corresponding longitudinal sliding of the locking element 23 against the controlling action of a compression spring 24 is effected, without this key 21 being then held in its depressed position. On the other hand, by this sliding of the projection 230 with the locking element, the press key 20 will be released, this key being then returned by its spring 200 into the disengaged position. In a similar manner, by depression of the key 21, which can also be called the zeroizing key, the other two keys 18 and 19 can be freed, if either of them has previously been depressed.

The plates 18a, 19a, 20a and 21a secured on the under side of the press keys are of different constructions. The plate 21a is rectangular, and corresponds to the crosssection of the key 21 to which it is secured. The plate 20a possesses two lateral lugs at opposite ends (see FIGURE 2), carrying stop pins 25 situated at the same level. The plate 19a is provided only on its left-hand end with a somewhat longer lug, upon which again there is fixed a'stop pin 26. The plate 18a is in turn provided at its opposite ends with two unequal lugs on each of which there is provided a stop pin 27, the right-hand pin lying at a higher level than the left-hand pin. For all these stop pins, there are provided appropriate holes in the cam box plate 5, through which they extend when the keys are depressed, thus projecting into the range of movement of the rocking levels 6. I As stated in the introduction, by depression of one or other of the press keys, the cam box can be set for the knitting of a specific pattern, which will be explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference to FIGURES 5, 5a, FIGURES 6, 6a and FIGURES 7, 7a.

In FIGURES 5 and 5a there are illustrated the conditions arising when the key 20 is depressed. Then the .two stop pins 25', situated at the same level, extend through the cam box plate 5 into the range of the two rocking levers 6. For the purpose of knitting, the cam box is moved first to the right (see arrow in FIGURE 5). The needles of the needle bed, of which for the sake of simplicity only the needle butts are indicated by short thick strokes, run through the cam box as shown, first coming into contact with the needle-lifting curved edge of the right-hand needle-control pawl 12, the rocking lever 6 of which thereby carries out a pivotal movement about its peg 7, limited by the righthand stop pin 25. On further movement of the cam box to the right, the needles are then depressed by the stationary needle-sinker 13 and by the needle-sinking curved edge of the left-hand needle-control pawl 12, resting with its upper end against the upper flange 10 of the cam box plate 5. On displacement of the cam box in the reverse direction (see arrow in FIGURE 5a), the needles are first lifted by the left-hand control pawl 12, which is rocked as far as the right-hand stop pin 25, and then depressed by the stationary needle-sinker 13 and by the upper end of the right-hand needle-control pawl 12. If in this knitting operation, only one of the two needle beds is used, plain knitted fabric is produced, whereas if the two needle beds are used, ribbed fabric is produced.

If it is desired to produce a different knitted pattern, first the zeroizing key 21 is depressed, whereby the springcontrolled key 20 is released for return into its initial position. According to choice, then the key 18 or 19 can be depressed for the production of a different type of knitting.

FIGURES 6 and 6a illustrate the conditions when the key 19 is depressed. Here the stop pin 26 extends into the range of movement of the left-hand rocking lever 6, while the right-hand rocking lever 6 can swing without hindrance between the two longitudinal flanges 10 and 15 of the cam box plate 5. In other respects the needles run through the cam box in a similar manner to that explained above with reference to FIGURES 5 and 5a; thus in the reciprocating motion of .the cam box, first the left-hand rocking lever 6 rocks with its needle-control pawl 12 as far as the stop pin 26, and the next time the right-hand rocking lever 6 rocks with its needlecontrol pawl as far as .the lower flange 15. If the key 19 of the rear cam box is also depressed, the apparatus is set for circular knitting.

On depression of the key 18, the knitting conditions are as illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 711.

On displacement of the cam box to the left (see the arrow in FIGURE 7), the left-hand lever 6 with its needle-control pawl 12 rocks as far as the lower pin 27 on the left. Consequently the needles. are not pushed forward to the full height, but only so far that the stitches still remain on the needle latches and form a doublestitch on return of the needles. In the reverse movement of the cam box (see the arrow in FIGURE 7a), the right-hand lever 6 with its needle-control pawl 12 rocks as far as the higher pin 27. The needles are consequently pushed forward to their full height, so that the stitches are knitted off on movement of the cam box in this direction. If the same key 18 of the respective cam box on the rear needle bed has been depressed, then in the movement of the cam box to the left the stitches are not knitted off on the front bed, while in the cam box movement to the right they are not knitted off on the rear bed. The stitches are thus omitted alernately on the front and on the rear needle beds, whereby a tuck style of knitting (called patent) is achieved. If however one-and-one is knitted in addition on one of the two beds, the key 20 of the respective cam box for this bed being depressed, a style of knitting called semi-patent is produced.

In the above explanation of the knitting operations, it has been assumed that the pegs 7 about which the levers 6 are rocked are situated at the bottom of the oblique slots 8; this is to be ascribed to the circumstance that a control dog 30 (see FIGURE 3) and a pin 32 guided in a horizontal slot 31 of the cam box plate 5 are so set that they bear on the upper edges of the rocking levers 6 (see position of the control dog 30 illustrated in dotted lines). The control dog 30' is seated on the inner end of a shaft 33 extending through a hole in the cam box plate 5. On the other side of the cam box plate 5, there is seated on this shaft a disc 34 (FIGURE 2) having a spiral-shaped control slot 34a. Into this slot 34a the-re extends a pin 35, fixed on the adjacent end of a rod 36 guided in the longitudinal direction of the cam box plate 5, this rod carrying the pin 32 at its other end. By turning the shaft 3 3, as by means of a rotatable knob (not shown) mounted on its foremost end, the control dog 30 will be rotated and at the same time the pin 32 will be shifted in the slot 31. In this manner it is possible to regulate the range of movement of the pegs 7 of the two levers 6 in the oblique slots 8, thereby permitting the lower ends of the levers to perform a smaller or greater swinging movement in the length of the slots 8 during the reciprocation of the cam box, according to whether the patern determined by depression of a key is to have smaller or larger stitches.

FIGURES 8 and 9 illustrate a modification of the camsetting device according to FIGURE 4. In place of press keys, a rotatable knob 36 is provided, having on its inner face a projection 36a constructed as a cam track, by means of which, in a manner similar to that of the device according to FIGURE 4, spring-influence stop pins 37, 33 can be pushed forward through holes 5c provided in the cam box plate 5, in order by means of these pins to limit more or less the range of pivoting of the rocking levers 6, according to the pattern desired.

What I claim is:

1. A needle control device for a hand-operated knitting apparatus having two beds of needles, comprising a cam box reciprocable along said beds for controlling the needles thereof, a needle sinker secured upon said cam box, a needle lifter secured upon said cam box on each side of that needle sinker, a pair of pawls inclined at opposite angles to one another one arranged between said needle sinker and each of said needle lifters, said pawls being ro'ckably mounted in said cam box, a pawl-setting device arranged on said cam box, and means connecting said pawl-setting device to said pawls for determining the range of rocking motion of said pawls in accordance with a selected knitting pattern, said pawl-setting device including a plurality of keys operable selectively for determining the range of rocking motion of said pawls in accordance with said selected knitting pattern.

2. A needle control device for a hand-operated knitting apparatus having at least one bed of needles, comprising a cam box reciprocable along said beds for controlling the needles thereof, a needle sinker secured upon said cam box, needle lifter means secured upon said cam box, a pair of pawls inclined at opposite angles to one another and arranged intermediate said needle lifter means, said pawls being rockably mounted in said cam box, a pawlsetting device arranged on said cam box, means connecting said pawl-setting device to said pawls for determining the range of rocking motion of said pawls in accordance with a selected knitting pattern, rocking levers pivoted to said cam box, said pawls being carried by said rocking levers, a spring connecting said levers together to hold said pawls in an initial position, said cam box having slots therein extending obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis of said cam box, said rocking levers being each provided with a peg engaged in one of said slots, each of said levers rocking about its respective peg, the position of each peg in its respective slot being adjustable.

3. A needle control device for a hand-operated knitting apparatus having at least one bed of needles, comprising a cam box reciprocable along said beds for controlling the needles thereof, a needle sinker secured upon said cam box, needle lifter means secured upon said cam box, a pair of pawls inclined at opposite angles to one another and arranged intermediate said needle lifter means, said pawls being rockably mounted in said cam box, a pawlset-ting device arranged on said cam box, means connecting said pawl-setting device to said pawls for determining the range of rocking motion of said pawls in accordance with a selected knitting pattern, rocking levers pivoted to said can box, said pawls being carried by said rocking levers, a spring connecting said levers together to hold said pawls in an initial position, said pawl-setting device including a row of spring controlled keys mounted on said cam box, all but one of said keys being adapted for automatic locking in depressed position and being provided with terminal lugs carrying said stop pins.

4. A needle control device for a hand-operated knitting apparatus having at least one bed of needles, com.- prising a cam box reciprocable along said beds for controlling the needles thereof, a needle sinker secured upon said cam box, needle lifter means secured upon said cam box, a pair of pawls inclined at opposite angles to one another and arranged intermediate said needle lifter means, said pawls being rockably mounted in said cam box, a pawl-setting device arranged on said cam box, means connecting said pawl-setting device to said pawls for determining the range of rocking motion of said pawls in accordance with a selected knitting pattern, rocking levers pivoted to said cam box, said pawls being carried by said rocking levers, a spring connecting said levers together to hold said pawls in an initial position, said pawl-setting device including a rotatable knob mounted on said cam box, said knob being provided inside said cam box with a cam track, said cam track engaging said stop pins to advance said stop pins selectively into the range of movement of said rocking levers.

5. A hand-operated control for a knitting apparatus having at least one bed of needles comprising a cam box overlying said needle bed and adapted to be moved to and fro thereover, a needle control pawl pivotally mounted on said cam box and having an upper face engageable with said needles upon movement of said cam box to lift them and a lower face engageable with said needles upon movement of said cam box to cause sinking thereof, fixed stop means disposed at each side of the path of pivotal movement of said pawl to limit the extreme movement thereof, displaceable intermediate stop means adapted to be positioned in the path of said needle control pawl to determine the range movement of said control pawl, setting means to actuate said displaceable stop means in accordance with a selected stitch pattern, said control pawl having a pivotal axis which can be shifted relative to the cam box, and means for shifting the position of said pivotal aX-is relative to the cam box.

6. A hand-operated control for a knitting apparatus having at least one bed of needles comprising a cam box overlying said needle bed and adapted to be moved to and fro thereover, a needle control pawl pivotally mounted on said cam box and having an upper face engageable with said needles upon movement of said cam box to lift them and a lower face engageable with said needles upon movement of said cam box to cause sinking thereof, fixed stop means disposed at each side of the path of pivotal movement of said pawl to limit the extreme movement thereof, displaceable intermediate stop means adapted to be positioned in the path of said needle control pawl to determine the range movement of said control pawl, setting means to actuate said displaceable stop means in accordance with a selected stitch pattern, a second control pawl pivotally mounted on said cambox at a laterally spaced location from said first pawl, said control pawls being inclined toward one another, means biasing said pawls against one end of their pivotal movement range, a fixed needle sinker element located between said pawl control members and a fixed needle lifter element located beyond each of said control members, and means to shift the pivot of each of said control pawl members relative to the cam box for shifting the range of operation thereof.

7. A hand-operated control for a knitting apparatus as set forth in claim 5 including a second control pawl pivotally mounted on said cam box at a laterally spaced location from said first pawl, said control pawls being inclined toward one another,'and resilient means extending between the control pawls for biasing said paw-ls against one end of their pivotal movement range.

8. A needle control device for a hand-operated kniting apparatushavimg at least one bed of needles comprising a car'n "box reciprocable along said bed forcontrolling the needles thereof, a needle control pawl, means for pivotally mounting said control pawl on said cam box, said means for pivotally mounting said control pawl including a member projecting from said control pawl and a slot in said cam box, said member being adapted to be carried in various positions of said slot to thereby vary the position of the pivotal axis of said control pawl, said control pawl having an upper face engagea-ble with said needles upon movement of said carn box to lift them and a lower face engageable with said needles upon movement of said cam box to cause sinking thereof, a pawl-setting device 8 arranged on said cam box, and means connecting said pawl-setting device to said pawl for determining the range of rocking motion of said pawl in accordance with a selected knitting pattern.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 941,206 Popp Nov. 23, 1909 2,150,730 Schuessler Mar. 14, 1939 2,681,553 Chiti June 22, 1954 2,830,446 Opawa Apr. 15, 1958 2,909,049 Rees Oct. 20, 1959 2,915,887 Moser Dec. 8, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 246,631 Italy Apr. 1, 1926 

1. A NEEDLE CONTROL DEVICE FOR A HAND-OPERATED KNITTING APPARATUS HAVING TWO BEDS OF NEEDLES, COMPRISING A CAM BOX RECIPROCABLE ALONG SAID BEDS FOR CONTROLLING THE NEEDLES THEREOF, A NEEDLE SINKER SECURED UPON SAID CAM BOX, A NEEDLE LIFTER SECURED UPON SAID CAM BOX ON EACH SIDE OF THAT NEEDLE SINKER, A PAIR OF PAWLS INCLINED AT OPPOSITE ANGLES TO ONE ANOTHER ONE ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID NEEDLE SINKER AND EACH OF SAID NEEDLE LIFTERS, SAID PAWLS BEING ROCKABLY MOUNTED IN SAID CAM BOX, A PAWL-SETTING DEVICE ARRANGED ON SAID CAM BOX, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID PAWL-SETTING DEVICE TO SAID PAWLS FOR DETERMINING THE RANGE OF ROCKING MOTION OF SAID PAWLS IN ACCORDANCE WITH A SELECTED KNITTING PATTERN, SAID PAWL-SETTING DEVICE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF KEYS OPERABLE SELECTIVELY FOR DETERMINING THE RANGE OF ROCKING MOTION OF SAID PAWLS IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID SELECTED KNITTING PATTERN. 